A Moral Thought

There are moral imperatives at the foundation of critical thinking. More than engaging in philosophical concepts or questioning the societal standards around us, the moral imperative lies in the products of our thoughts. What impact will we have on ourselves and those around us as a result of our engagement in the world around us or, to the same degree, our isolation from the world around us. Continuously, and almost consistently, I have unwise inclinations which inevitably lead to mistakes and more disastrously dents in my relationships with others. These inclinations stem from the dark-to-light grey spectrum that we refer to as ethics and label black and white at random intervals. It may seem as though this claim contradicts my opening statement, however, just because our moral responsibilities are fuzzy or unclear does not mean they are non-existent.

My (the youth of today's) generation is said to be the ultimate consumers as we, in our privileged separate world of advancing technology and needs being met before they're felt, absorb our society for all it can give us. While I do not believe that we, as a rule, sacrifice individual personalities and priorities for this machine-like attitude - I believe that this attitude underlies many of our actions and pursuits in life as many Europeans and North Americans strive for self-satisfaction and personal success. I believe that this is what businesses want from us and have kindled inside our minds since children as we give up interaction with the natural world around us and obsess over the virtual world on the screens in front of us - not saying it's all a conspiracy as consumers' response has encouraged this stimulation. I'm not even referring to the natural world as sports or agriculture or the picturesque image of 'nature,' I am simply referring to online shopping, rather than entering the community and going to the grocery or clothing shop, or the early exposure to technology as toddlers scribble on a screen in the new Windows 10 advertisement rather than experiencing the new (to them) world.

Thinking critically about what we consume and how we give back to our community, society, and world is not morally right because we're obligated to be active citizens but rather by the influence our positive actions will have on our community. If you place importance on your family, and therefore put effort into your individual and collective relationships, your consideration will impact their lives in a GOOD way, as theirs will yours. However, if you put no effort into your relationships, rather than their condition staying stagnant, your relationships will deteriorate - impacting your life and theirs in a BAD way. While it may initially seem as though there is no responsibility to improve your behaviour and relationship with others, the outcome of engaging or avoiding the challenge creates a moral divide between good and bad. In my opinion, if there is an even somewhat-definitive 'good,' one has a moral obligation to pursue that outcome as they care about themselves and/or others. Through this attitude, there is a moral imperative to engage and think critically about the world around us as our thoughts (and inevitable actions or lack-of-actions) aid its betterment or deterioration.

Emotion vs. Logic - The Unnecessary Battle

Currently science shows us that humans react first with their emotions and then progress to justify their decisions by supporting it with logical reasoning; however, in today’s society, displaying one’s emotions is often seen as weakness and therefore undesirable. I would argue that while sometimes fully engaging in one’s emotions - when they are irrelevant to the situation at hand - lessens efficiency, emotions help to guide us through the world, as we perceive it, and build relationships with others. In the 21^st century, the western world is ruled mentally rather physically as most interactions/ communications are made using technology. Consequently, logic ranks higher when influencing decision than emotion does – and rightly so. Critical thinking allows us to analyse our actions and the actions of those around us to better influence our communities and engage in positive movements while correcting negative ones. These thought sequences stem from our background in education and culture, shaped by family religion and tradition. For instance, if we see another person (or animal) being mistreated in our community and (I would hope) help them: we understand and think about the psychological effect on that person and the rippling effects it may have. However, if initially we had not felt that the situation was unjust and felt sympathetic for the person, we would not have taken the initiative to assist them and used critical thinking to create a positive impact. As I stated earlier, emotions play a key role in allowing us to perceive the world and form relationships with others. Emotions enable us to pursue subjects and activities we enjoy – if a person is logically inclined and enjoy maths, emotion drives them to pursue and better themselves at maths, even though it is the logical though they seek. Therefore we can understand that emotion, as it has always been, is the base on which we build our logical thought. This does not mean that displaying emotions is always beneficial for the individual or that relying solely on emotion is healthy but rather that balancing emotion and logic leads to a more harmonious lifestyle. Relying solely on emotion can make us unreasonable and insensitive to others while depending on logic can do the same. Although, when using emotions to connect with others and logic to assist them, one can provide their best support and make better decisions for themselves. In this way, emotion and logic complement each other however often they are seen as opposing forces. 

That's Not What I Meant...

One of the greatest challenges in relationships, misinterpretation, is an daily practice for my family as sarcasm is lost on the innocent and we are not always able to finish each other's... sandwiches. As we change and each individual brings their own experiences and mentality to our interactions, confusion as well as new understanding arises. The more time I spend with my mum, the more I can predict what she is going to say or the rest of a question she only half asks. For example, my dad came home one day and asked me whether I had taken our sausage dog, Coco, for a walk, I replied, "he's gone." In my opinion I had perfectly communicated, in such a context, that he had been for a walk; although my dad took it as "THE DOG IS GONE!"

*let's all freak out because he's the cutest one in the family* 

So he panicked, and I panicked not knowing why he was panicking, while my dog hops down the stairs, trotting over to say hello. Looking at Coco and then back at me he said - rather defeatedly -, "I thought you said he was gone?"
"I did, but that's not what I meant."

While my father took a minute to bask in the beauty of our -still alive and with us- dog, I made a mental note to next time use the word 'been.' Through these interactions and misconceptions, we learn new ways to interpret experiences which shape our behaviour in social situations. Each person carries their own knowledge, experiences and beliefs and therefore we should take into account their perspective as we interact with them - hoping they will do the same for us. 

The Expression of Language

Language - Necessity or Privilege

Language constantly controls our world by controlling how we perceive it. The manner in which we express emotions dictate whether we can identify the emotion in ourselves. If one doesn't know that feeling discontent meant being angry, they could perhaps not identify the tendency and control their evoked actions.Without being aware of grieving, an individual could struggle with the issue their entire life. However, whether whether specifically words are needed to communicate these feeling is limiting as other forms of expression such as body language, creative works, etc. are employed to interact with one's surroundings. The way we apply language in society directs its survival as "if thought corrupts language, language can corrupt thought" (George Orwell) and the corrupted language affect the thoughts of all those subjected to its control.

Similarly, the way that expressive language is interpreted can change its meaning alongside its cultural effects. The tone of an individual's speech has just as much effect on the audience as the words themselves. An example of this is in New Girl, a popular TV show, when Nick and Schmitt are expressing very endearing notions towards Jess, however doing so in a loud and blunt manner. The effect on atmosphere and intention of the interaction become negative as she is confused in regards to their contradictory expression. Therefore, body language and tone can be used to communicate ideas to other of different language and culture, even if the words are not understood. In this way, human understanding is limitless as expression takes all forms. When an individual's tone and body language affect the audience more than their content, it is possible that language is not necessary for productive human interaction however difficult frequent expression may become. Language is therefore not a necessity to society, but rather a privilege of expression as we can have both local and global understanding.

Food For Thought

Senses: Our Own or Our Past's

I love dark chocolate. With every fiber of my being, dark chocolate is one of the best privileges I have and, truly, it was an outrage when 99% ceased to be sold and I only found comfort in 90%. It was also an outrage when I gave some precious dark chocolate to my cousin and he unbelievably found it disgusting. While I had the pleasure of loving dark chocolate from an early age, this was one of the few times he tried it. Now, he tries it whenever possible to see if "his taste buds have changed yet." Maybe it was an acquired taste, enjoying it with my sister affected my attitude towards the experience, or the fact that I tried anything and everything when I was young changed my attitude towards new experiences. Some knowledge questions to ponder are:

How does a mentality towards the exploration of a sense affect experiences with given sense?

Can one change their inclination towards something by changing their mood in that moment?

How does emotions towards individuals sharing the experience affect the enjoyment of the experience?

Does one's past experiences completely dictate their enjoyment through a sense?  

A Modern Cave

A Modern Cave

        Social media limits and skews reality as humanity falls into a virtual world with no awareness of our own existence, mental and physical. On the left of the image above, social media - in all its forms - engulf the man's vision and attention albeit the engaging physical beauty within his reach. A wave of social media clouds his sight of the vibrant earth around him and corrodes his emotional and physical wisdom. As he chooses to mentally drown himself in worthless information, constant, useless, facets of human self-importance overtake all his time and efforts. Blindly following societal trends, he loses the ability to actively think and interact with his surroundings, similar to the individuals in the cave.

        Choosing ignorance of reality disintegrates the knowledge of his own character and mental state. Social media becomes his truth in a holistic sense; the pursuit of constant media feed becomes the only important aspect of his existence. Whilst idolising social media, he submits to the illusion of happiness in his consumerised content and fails to escape his dark surroundings. The only light he sees is from the screen of his device, continuously clouding his perspective of his role in the surrounding world community. He accepts the words of others as absolute truth instead of seeking more insight into the world around him. By not actively pursuing his own understanding of his surrounding, his knowledge and perspective is limited to the assumptions of his fellow companions.